Thank you for the information! I don’t think ( and hope) they will look at wait list forms before April 15th or even May 1st. Btw, what is SIR? Regarding Essay, will they look at my original essays as well? In that case, I think these two essays (original essay and opt-in essay) needs to be different. Also I am an international student and heard rumors that this year due to COVID 19 situation, unis including UCB won’t take many internationals as apparently visa is stopped. Tbh, I think this is completely BS, but any validity in this? At the same time, I heard waitlist will have more chances now because enrollment rate might decrease much due to this situation. Do you think this is true for UCB?
*Thanks for advice regarding submission of Grade!
*To Everyone: is there anyone who already submitted their opt-in form? I am planning to submit around April 13th.
@richbilly My D submitted her opt in for Waitlist earlier this week in the event they start looking at the pool early. SIR is the thing due May 1 or earlier: Statement of Intent to Register. She is already admitted to UCLA CS, but thinks the Cal program is better. I feel like the overall college experience, housing, environment at UCLA will be better, but now we wait.
I’m currently trying to tackle writing my essay. I have a story to tell about my self-development since the submission but it reads more as a PIQ. Should I play it safe and write an essay that fits the norm or take a risk and tell my story?
I will clarify that the story does tie in Berkeley and I plan to incorporate the expected parts into my less traditional essay.
I got waitlisted for the L&S and was offered three different pathways. I was wondering what these meant in terms of admissions and if they offered in advantage into opting into any of these pathways. I don’t really want to do either of them and would rather go in the traditional route because I’ve heard some bad things about FPF and I wouldn’t be able to participate in the London Edge Program regardless due me not turning 18 by their required date. I wouldn’t want to choose any of these pathways unless i had no other choice. If I do select one would it help my chances of getting off the WL and vice versa if I don’t would it hurt my chances. Sorry if this questions has already been asked before, I’m just very anxious and UCB is my top choice!
@Gumbymom if my school does semester grades and we haven’t finished spring quarter, should I put in progress for my spring grades and leave winter blank as well? Really confused on the grades part.
Same question! Emailed them yesterday regarding that, and am waiting on a response. If anybody knows please tell us! Also, should I upload an unofficial transcript or input grades or both? Not sure which they would prefer.
In my school (in-state), we regularly have 50 admits to Berkeley per year, but this year it seems like only 10-15 got in. Did this sort of thing happen at anyone else’s school? What do you think this means for those on the waitlist?
@AcademicHopeful@goin2college0: I would only submit grades that are posted on your transcript so if you only have Fall grades, no Winter grades and no final spring grades, then list only Fall grades.
@plsadmitthanks YESS at my school they usually admit like 15-20, but this year they only took 5 so idk wuts going on lol. ucla did the same so im assuming cal did the same thing just to match cuz they like to be competitive with each other
@plsadmitthanks interesting. Our school let in over 50 students in 2018. No idea about this year. UCB has maintained a 75/25 In-state/out of state ratio for years, so it wouldn’t make sense that they accepted MORE out of state applicants. I wonder if they accepted from a more diverse pool of schools this year OR if they simply didn’t accept as many people due to the weird circumstances. The latter scenario helps the WL, you’d think.
Hi, I checked the opt-in form today, and for some reason, there is no space for me to enter my grades or an essay. All it has is a small paragraph informing us of the deadline of April 15th and encouraging us to enroll at another college for “piece of mind” as well as the check box for opting in to the wait list. I was wondering if this had happened to other people or not. Thanks
Similar to @hopefulacademic , I was wondering if selecting the FPF option would increase my chances of getting off the waitlist will simultaneously decrease my chances of the traditional pathway.
@laniloc12 based on anecdotal evidence, simply from my school previosuly, it strongly reduces chances from traditional admit, and I think it slight;y improves chances for regular admission. haven’t heard good things abt FPF so i dont think I will be marking it
@Gumbymom Should the waitlist essay be more of a “Why UC Berkeley essay and why you are an asset to the campus and community” or answer the prompt with new information since the point of application such as "awards and recognition obtained, explanation of course changes, and challenges faced?